Itzhak Perlman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Itzhak Perlman
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| יִצְחָק פרלמן | |
Perlman before playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Citi Field in New York City in 2016
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| Born | August 31, 1945 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Violinist |
| Spouse(s) |
Toby Friedlander
(m. 1967) |
| Children | 5 |
Itzhak Perlman (Hebrew: יִצְחָק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is a famous Israeli-American violin player. He has played his violin all over the world, including for Queen Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007. He also performed at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama. Perlman has led orchestras like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a very high honor in the United States. He has won many awards, including 16 Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards.
Contents
Early Life and Learning to Play
Perlman was born in 1945 in Tel Aviv. His parents were from Poland and moved to Mandatory Palestine before he was born. When he was four years old, he got sick with polio. This illness affected his legs, so he has used leg braces and crutches to walk ever since. He plays the violin while sitting down. As of 2018, he uses crutches or an electric scooter to move around.
When Perlman was three, he heard a violin concert on the radio. He loved it so much that he wanted to play the violin too. His mother bought him a toy violin, and he quickly learned to play simple tunes. At first, he was too small to join a music school. But a year later, he started learning the violin. His first teacher was a café violinist. When he was five, he joined the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He studied there for eight years and gave his first public concert at age ten. At 13, he moved to the United States to study at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Amazing Career as a Violinist
Performing for Audiences
Perlman became well-known when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958 and again in 1964. He even performed on the same show as the Rolling Stones! He played famous pieces like "Flight of the Bumblebee" and Mendelssohn's violin concerto. In the early 1960s, he played with several orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
With help from the Zionist Organization of America, Perlman started touring the U.S. and Canada. He quickly became a top violin player. He played at Carnegie Hall for the first time in 1963. In 1964, he won the Leventritt Competition, a major music award. From 1964 to 1966, Perlman toured 30 cities in the United States. He also gave concerts in Israel in 1964.
Perlman first played with the New York Philharmonic in 1965. He also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1966. He made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in December 1966.
In the late 1960s, Perlman began touring Europe. He played with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968. In 1972, he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and at the Salzburg Festival. After that, Perlman toured as a solo artist all over the world.
Besides his many recordings and concerts, Perlman has appeared on TV shows like The Tonight Show and Sesame Street. He has also played at many events at the White House.
In 1986, Perlman performed at a special concert for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The concert was held in Central Park and shown live on TV.
In 1987, Perlman joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) for concerts in Eastern European countries. He toured with the IPO again in 1990, playing in the Soviet Union for the first time. In 1994, he toured with them in China and India.
In 2015, it was shared that Perlman played the violin solo on the 1989 Billy Joel song "The Downeaster Alexa".
Perlman often plays by himself, but he has also performed with other famous musicians. These include Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, and Isaac Stern.
He is best known for classical music, but Perlman has also played jazz and klezmer music. He was the violin soloist for the movie Schindler's List (1993), which won an Academy Award. He also played for the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha.
Special Performances
Perlman played at a special dinner for Queen Elizabeth II at the White House on May 7, 2007.
He performed "Air and Simple Gifts" by John Williams at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. He played with Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano), and Anthony McGill (clarinet). They played a recording because the cold weather could have damaged their instruments. Perlman said it would have been a "disaster" otherwise.
He appeared in Disney's Fantasia 2000 to introduce the "Pines of Rome" part, along with Steve Martin.
On November 2, 2018, Perlman appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. This was 60 years after his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Teaching and Mentoring
In 1975, Perlman became a teacher at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. In 2003, he became a violin professor at the Juilliard School, taking over from his own teacher, Dorothy DeLay. He also teaches students one-on-one at the Perlman Music Program.
The Perlman Music Program
The Perlman Music Program was started in 1994 by Perlman's wife, Toby Perlman. It began as a summer camp for talented young string musicians aged 12 to 18. It has grown into a year-round program. Students get to learn from Perlman himself before performing in public. The program helps young musicians make friends and work together, so they don't feel alone in their musical journey.
Leading Orchestras
Around the year 2000, Perlman started to conduct orchestras. He became the main guest conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He also advised the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2002 to 2004. In 2007, he was named artistic director and principal conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic. His first concert in these roles was in October 2008, playing music by Beethoven.
His Special Violins
Perlman plays a very famous violin called the Soil Stradivarius. It was made in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari, a legendary violin maker. This violin is considered one of the best ever made during Stradivari's "golden period." Perlman also plays other valuable violins, including a Guarneri del Gesù from 1743 and a Carlo Bergonzi from 1740.
Personal Life
Perlman lives in New York City with his wife, Toby, who is also a trained violinist. They have five children. One of their children, Navah Perlman, is a concert pianist. Perlman is a distant cousin of the Canadian comedian Howie Mandel. He has a condition called synesthesia, which means his senses mix. For example, he might "see" sounds as colors.
Honors and Awards
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- 1964: Won the Leventritt Competition.
- 1977: Won a Grammy Award for his performance of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."
- 1978: Won two Grammy Awards, including for Brahms's Violin Concerto.
- 1980: Won three Grammy Awards, including for "The Spanish Album."
- 1981: Won two Grammy Awards.
- 1982: Won a Grammy Award for Elgar's Violin Concerto.
- 1986: Received the Medal of Liberty from President Reagan.
- 1987: Won two Grammy Awards.
- 1990: Won two Grammy Awards.
- 1992: Won an Emmy Award for "Perlman in Russia."
- 1994: Won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement: Cultural Programming."
- 1995: Won a Grammy Award for "The American Album."
- 1996: Won an Emmy Award for "Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler's House."
- 1997: Became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
- 1999: Won an Emmy Award for "Itzhak Perlman: Fiddling for the Future."
- 2000: Received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton.
- 2002: Became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- 2003: Received the Kennedy Center Honors.
- 2005: Received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement.
- 2008: Received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 2015: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
- 2016: Awarded the Genesis Prize by the Prime Minister of Israel.
- 2017: Was the subject of the documentary film Itzhak.
See also
In Spanish: Itzhak Perlman para niños
